Housing for accommodating a stick of cosmetic material,for example a lipstick

ABSTRACT

A HOUSING FOR ACCOMMODATING A STICK OF COSMETIC MATERIAL, FOR EXAMPLE A LIPSTICK, IS DISCLOSED. THE STICK CAN BE ADVANCED AND RETRACTED IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION BY ROTATING A ROTATABLE HOUSING PART. A PIVOTED COVER FLAP IS PROVIDED   WHICH IS OPENED BY SPRING MEANS AND CLOSED BY A CAM EDGE ON A PORTION OF THE ROTATABLE HOUSING PART.

United States Patent lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Priority Josef L. Gabler Mainaustrasse 44, Zurich, Switzerland 781,879

Dec. 6, 1968 June 28, 1971 Feb. 13, 1968 Switzerland HOUSING FOR ACCOMMODATING A STICK OF COSMETIC MATERIAL, FOR EXAMPLE A LIPSTICK 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Flgs.

US. Cl 401/59 A45d 40/06 FieIdoISeai-ch 401/59, 68-78 [56] References Cited UNlT ED STATES PATENTS 1,969,027 8/1934 Morrison 401/78 1,987,473 1/1935 Fullmer 401/59 2,095,380 10/1937 Coryell 401/59 3,445,171 5/1969 Seidler 401/59 FOREIGN PATENTS 690,150 6/1930 France 401/59 373,798 6/1932 Great Britain 401/59 Primary Examiner-Lawrence Charles AttorneysRobert E. Burns and Emmanuel J. Lobato ABSTRACT: A housing for accommodating a stick of cosmetic material, for example a lipstick, is disclosed. The stick can be advanced and retracted in the axial direction by rotating a rotatable housing part. A pivoted cover flap is provided which is opened by spring means and closed by a cam edge on a portion of the rotatable housing part.

HOUSING FOR ACCOMMODATING A STICK OF COSMETIC MATERIAL, FOR EXAMPLE A LIPSTICK This invention relates to a housing for accommodating a stick of cosmetic material, for example a lipstick which at one end is replaceably mounted in a holder adapted to be adjusted, with the stick, in the axial direction of the housing on rotation of a part of this housing, and a cover flap being laterally pivoted to one end of this housing.

Known forms of such housing have a spring which urges the cover flap into its open condition to enable the stick to be I moved into its usable position, in which it projects from the housing.

It is also known to accommodate the stick in a holder which is axially movable in the housing carrying its stick, by providing a radially projecting driving element which moves in an axially extending slot in a first housing portion and in a further, but spiral slot in a second housing portion which is rotatable relatively to the first named such portion.

When the two housing portions are turned relatively to one another the driving element moves along the slots and so brings about the projection or retraction of the holder and the stick mounted in it.

The closure of the cover flap is performed with the stick withdrawn, by a special movement of a finger of the hand holding the housing.

It is an object of the invention to provide for the positive and automatic closure of the cover flap in response to the withdrawal of this stick. In the housing according to the present invention this is achieved by the fact that spring means are provided to move the cover flap into the opened condition, and the aforesaid rotatable part of the housing has a portion which cooperates with the peripheral wall of the cover flap so as to positively close this flap when the stick is retracted.

An embodiment of the housing according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of this housing, partly cut away and shown in section,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the housing, taken at right angles to the view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 shows the lower portion of the housing in axial section, this being taken from a position 90 round the axis of the device in relation to the view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 illustrates the details of the latching mechanism of the device shown in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 7 is a side view of the cosmetic stick and its holder used in the housing.

The illustrated housing, made of metal, has an outer sleeveform casing composed of two coaxial and adjacent sections 1 and 2. This outer casing, which for example may be of precious metal, may have decorations, for example engravings thereon.

The outer casing l, 2 contains a sleeve-form wall part 3 which is firmly connected to the section 1 of the casing and has a longitudinal slot 4 open at the bottom.

A further sleeve-formation wall part 5 is rotatably mounted within wall part 3, the lower margin 6 of this wall part 5 being rigidly connected to section 2 of casing 1, 2 and having a slot 7 which is again open at the lower end but in this case extends along a helical line.

Wall part 5 is provided at its upper end with an annular portion 8 having a conical outer periphery. Pivoted to an arm 9 on this annular portion 8 is a cover flap 10, the arm at its free end being bent to define the eye of a hinge and thus engaging around a hinge pin 11 in a recess 12 in cover 10. Between cover flagltland arn19 is a spring (not shown) which urges the cover into its opened condition or will keep it open (FIGS. 2 and 4). This spring is advantageously in the form of a torsion spring which is arranged on hinge pin 11, is prestressed, and has its ends bearing against the cover flap l0 and the arm 9 respectively.

Opposite the recess 12 a radially projecting pin 13 is provided in a projection of the cover flap which extends into the wall portion 5. When the cover flap 10 is closed down, this pin 13 passes into a recess 14 in the upper rim of the annular portion 8 and lies laterally alongside the same at the lower side of the annular portion 8 when the cover flap 10 is fully closed (FIG. 6). The wall portion 3 is provided at the upper end with a peripherally extending recess 23 which receives the pin 13 when the cover flap is closed.

Cast in the lower, open end of casing section 2 and in the wall portion 3 and 5 is a closure plug 16 which is pushed with a loose fit into the hole in the marginal portion 6.

Plug 16 has an upwardly facing opening into which projects a holder 18 for the lower end of the cosmetic stick 19. A radially projecting pin 20 on holder 18 can be pushed into the open lower end of slots 4 and 7 in the wall parts 3 and 5.

The section 1 of the casing surrounds the annular portion 8 extends upwardly alongside the cover flap l0 and accompanies the latter over a part of its periphery, up to an operative cam edge 22 which is slightly upwardly inclined.

After the cosmetic stick 19 in its holder 18 has been pushed into the housing so that the pin 20 enters the lower ends of slots 4 and 7 the housing is closed by means of the closure plug 16.

At its lower end the slot 7 has a horizontally extending portion and this permits a slight relative rotation between the wall parts with the result that the pin 13 in the recess 14 can enter the recess 23 in the upper rim of the wall part 3 and prevent opening of cover flap l0.

When the cosmetic stick 19 is to be used, one hand grips the I casing section 2 of the housing and the casing section 1 is turned with the first finger and thumb of the same hand. As a result the pin 13 disengages from the peripheral recess 23 and enters the longitudinal recess 14. The torsion spring on the hinge pin 11 then moves the cover flap 10 from the position of FIG. 1 into that seen in FIG. 2.

If the casing section 1, rigidly connected to wall part 3, is turned further the wall part 5, which is rigidly connected to casing section 2, moves the pin 20 upwards through the action of slots 4 and 7. The holder 18 and the cosmetic stick 19 are also moved up whereby the latter is projected from the housing and can be used.

When the casing sections 1 and 2 are turned in the opposite sense to that required to push out the stick 19, the operative cam edge 22 of the upwardly projecting lug 21 on casing section 1, rotates with that section 1, and strikes the upper surface of the open cover 10 near its periphery. As the point of engagement is radially outwardly of the pivotal axis of the cover as defined by the hinge pin 11, the upward force exerted on the cover by the cam edge 22 swings the cover upwardly toward closed position. As the cover continues to rotate about its pivot from the open position, the cam edge 22 of the lug 21 comes into engagement with the adjacent peripheral portion of the cover and exerts on it an upwardly and radially inwardly directed force to continue pivoting of the cover toward closed position. As the cover approaches closed position, the lug 21 exerts a radially inwardly directed force on the edge of the cover above the pivot axis. As will be seen in FIG. 1, the lug 21 projects upwardly approximately to the top of the cover when in closed position and thus assures complete closing of the cover. As the cover reaches its closed position, the radially projecting pin 13 on the cover 10 enters the recess 14 and passes into the recess 23, thereby preventing upward movement of the pin and so holding the cover 10 closed.

When the casing sections 1 and 2 and the wallparts 3 and 5 A single hand, or fingers thereof is also sufficient to perform W this closing operation.

lclaim:

l. A housing for accommodating a stick of cosmetic material, comprising two housing sections rotatably connected together; a holder mounted m the housing for holding a cosmetic stick; means for displacing said holder with the stick in the axial direction of said housing upon relative rotation of the said rotatable housing sections; a cover flap laterally pivoted to one of said housing sections; spring means for moving the cover flap into its opened position upon said rotation; and closure means mounted to the other of said housing means for rotating with respect to the cover flap upon said rotation, and for engaging the peripheral wall of the cover flap so as to positively close the flap when the stick is retracted, said closure means comprising a lug which extends over a part of the periphery of the cover flap and which has an operative edge which is inclined to the axis of the housing and cooperates with the cover flap in a carnming action to close the cover flap upon retracting rotation of said housing sections.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said cover flap has a depending portion for pivoting down into the interior of the housing, and further comprising a radially outwardly projecting pin mounted on said depending portion of the cover flap, and a rim on the other said housing section, said rim having a peripherally extending recess for receiving said projecting pin upon closure of said cover flap and holding the cover flap fast in its closed position,

3. A housing as claimed in claim 2, wherein the end of the housing opposite to that carrying the cover flap is closed by a removable push-in closure plug. 

